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CHAPTER ELEVEN ▪▫▪▫▪
MALYEN ORETSEV WAS SHIT AT RESEARCH. Which didn't help, seeing as Morana seemed to be no better at it. She groaned, letting her head fall on top of the book as the two of them sat at the library looking for any book that might just explain their connection and how to break it so she could get out of Ravka.
"It's a dead end," Mal muttered, "We won't find anything."
"Well, then you'll have to come with me. We leave Ravka behind and join a pirate crew, I have contacts."
"I can't leave Alina," said Mal running a hand through his face and Morana rolled her eyes.
"She's your nation, I know. You told me."
"I didn't tell you so you could throw it in my face."
"Then you shouldn't have told me."
"I know that now."
Morana let out a laugh and Mal closed the book he was barely even paying attention to. He sighed standing up.
"I need to get ready for dinner—"
"You mean the announcement?" quipped Morana and Mal nodded reluctantly.
The announcement. Of Nikolai and Alina's engagement. Morana grabbed the tumbler of rum on top of the table and downed the end of the drink. She wished she could be mad at the announcement but she couldn't, not really, not when she made sure it happened, just so she could push Nikolai away.
He'd come to her room in the morning, an apology spilling out of his lips. He'd told her he forgot to tell her that he didn't mean to hide it from her and Morana merely watched him fumble with his words with a numb look on her face. "We don't have to go through with it," he'd told her, "We haven't made it public to anyone else; I can tell Alina—"
"Why would you do that?" Morana asked coldly and Nikolai's brows had furrowed in confusion.
"Morana, I don't want to marry her—"
"Alright, say you break it off. How long before you go marry someone else?" Morana had shaken her head at him, holding her hand up to stop him from speaking, when his face flashed with hurt and he tried to argue with her. "It's a political alliance for Ravka, Nikolai. Alina is your best option to reunite it. It's your duty to serve the country."
"Since when are you a patriot?"
"Since I found out you were a prince," she'd answer honestly, "Moi tsarevich, do what's best for your country. I shouldn't be an involved variable. Not anymore."
"Mora—"
"Make the announcement, Nikolai." And she'd closed the door in his dumbstruck face before she crumbled at the distraught look in his eyes.
